Prayer for Relief from Tormentors

To the Chief Musician. Set to [a]“The Silent Dove in Distant Lands.” A Michtam of David when the (A)Philistines captured him in Gath.

56 Be (B)merciful to me, O God, for man would swallow me up;
Fighting all day he oppresses me.
My enemies would (C)hound me all day,
For there are many who fight against me, O Most High.

Whenever I am afraid,
I will trust in You.
In God (I will praise His word),
In God I have put my trust;
(D)I will not fear.
What can flesh do to me?

All day they twist my words;
All their thoughts are against me for evil.
They gather together,
They hide, they mark my steps,
When they lie in wait for my life.
Shall they escape by iniquity?
In anger cast down the peoples, O God!

You number my wanderings;
Put my tears into Your bottle;
(E)Are they not in Your book?
When I cry out to You,
Then my enemies will turn back;
This I know, because (F)God is for me.
10 In God (I will praise His word),
In the Lord (I will praise His word),
11 In God I have put my trust;
I will not be afraid.
What can man do to me?

12 Vows made to You are binding upon me, O God;
I will render praises to You,
13 (G)For You have delivered my soul from death.
Have You not kept my feet from falling,
That I may walk before God
In the (H)light of the living?

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 56:1 Heb. Jonath Elem Rechokim

56 Be merciful unto me, O God, for man would swallow me up; he, fighting daily, oppresseth me.

Mine enemies would daily swallow me up, for they are many that fight against me, O Thou Most High.

In the time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee.

In God I will praise His word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.

Every day they wrest my words; all their thoughts are against me for evil.

They gather themselves together, they hide themselves, they mark my steps as they lie in wait for my soul.

Shall they escape by iniquity? In Thine anger cast down the people, O God.

Thou countest my wanderings; put Thou my tears into Thy bottle: are they not in Thy book?

When I cry unto Thee, then shall mine enemies turn back! This I know, for God is for me.

10 In God will I praise His word; in the Lord will I praise His word.

11 In God have I put my trust; I will not be afraid what man can do unto me.

12 Thy vows are upon me, O God; I will render praises unto Thee.

13 For Thou hast delivered my soul from death; wilt Thou not deliver my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living?

David Flees to Gath

10 Then David arose and fled that day from before Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath. 11 And (A)the servants of Achish said to him, “Is this not David the king of the land? Did they not sing of him to one another in dances, saying:

(B)‘Saul has slain his thousands,
And David his ten thousands’?”

12 Now David (C)took these words [a]to heart, and was very much afraid of Achish the king of Gath.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 21:12 Lit. in his heart

10 And David arose and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath.

11 And the servants of Achish said unto him, “Is not this David the king of the land? Did they not sing one to another of him in dances, saying, ‘Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands’?”

12 And David laid up these words in his heart, and was sore afraid of Achish the king of Gath.

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